Where does “deckhand” come from?
deckhand (English) comes from English deck, from Middle English dekke, from Middle Dutch dec, from Middle Dutch decken, from Old Dutch thecken, from Proto-West Germanic þakkjan, from Proto-Germanic þakjaną, from Proto-Germanic þaką — to cover; pole, stick, beam.
deckhand (English): A member of the crew of a merchant ship who...
Definitions
- A member of the crew of a merchant ship who...
Ancestry of “deckhand”, step by step
deckhand traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English deck
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | deck | Any raised flat surface that can be walked on: a... |
| 2 | Middle English | dekke | — |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | dec | roof, covering |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | decken | to roof, to build/repair a roof; to cover; to... |
| 5 | Old Dutch | thecken | to cover; to roof |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | þakkjan | to cover; to burn |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | þakjaną | to cover; to burn |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | þaką | roof, cover |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)teg- | to cover; pole, stick, beam |
via English Hand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hand | The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals |
| 2 | Middle English | hond | hand; Alternative form of hound |
| 3 | Old English | hand | A hand |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 5 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 6 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 7 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |